1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a curved positionally- or location-sensitive proportional Geiger or counter tube with a counting chamber which is lined with a trough-shaped metallic layer introduced in or vapor-deposited on an insulating body as a cathode, which is gas-tightly covered on its longitudinal side through the intermediary of a conductive and radiation-transmissive foil as a counter tube window, and traversed along its longitudinal direction by a counter tube wire forming an anode and which is maintained stretched equidistantly from the metallic side trough walls, and which is fastened at both sides thereof in the insulating body and connected with the electrical elements of amplifiers.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In applicant's German Patent Application No. P 26 49 192.9 there is disclosed a counter tube which is particularly adapted for the registration of X-ray diffraction diagrams through its high resolution of below 50 .mu.m. Through the finite depth of the counter tube, in essence, the counter tube trough forming the cathode, a considerable degree of blurring (depth blurring) is encountered relative to the absolute positional resolution. The reason for this blurring is the characteristic of the counter tube to register the location of an X-ray quantum at the location at which there is liberated the primary ionization. An X-ray quantum possesses a predetermined probability along its path through the depth of the trough of the counter tube to initiate this primary process. The thus produced charge is, however, accelerated perpendicularly towards the counter tube wire and not in the direction of the incident X-ray. Only when the X-ray enters the counter tube perpendicular to the counter tube wire, does the direction of the accelerated charge coincide with the direction of the radiation. The depth blurring which occurs thereby depends upon the angle of the X-ray relative to the counter tube wire, and disappears upon the perpendicular incident radiation onto the counter tube wire.
In the recording of diffraction spectrums through the utilization of a point focus, the X-radiation which is to be determined is radiated spherically symmetric, meaning, the diffractive reflexes of the X-radiation which are to be obtained are located along circular arcs. The advantage of a counter tube to integratingly measure all ionizing X-ray quantums perpendicular to the wire for linear reflexes lying in one plane, has a disadvantage effect in the recording of arcuately shaped reflexes through a spreading of the positional or locational impulses, and thereby, in a reduction in the resolution capacity (curve blurring), then, as with the previously mentioned depth blurring, the counter tube projects the locations of the primary ionization through incident X-ray quantums perpendicularly onto the counter tube wire. For the arcuately shaped reflex this signifies a projection of its curve entering the counter tube onto the counter tube wire.